Colorado Central Articles From — August 2008

Column by Hal Walter

Agriculture – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

THE BULL CALVES went through the squeeze chute one by one, and the vet took a scalpel to their nuts. When each was released into the pen, it walked away from the site of its emasculation and set about eating grass.

“How bad do you think that hurts?” I asked Kit Ryff, the traveling veterinarian from Salida. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Martha Quillen

Publishing – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

DESPITE THE DISPARITY between the two matters — except for a coincident timeliness in their airing — I’ve found myself correlating our Mt. Kiamia woes (if you haven’t heard about them see the letters in this issue) with recent findings in the JonBenét Ransey case. And I’ve concluded that mistakes don’t just happen; they happen frequently and are, perhaps, inevitable. Read the rest of this article

Article by Sue Snively

Art – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

GALLERY 150 is a magical place, featuring the work of potters, glass artists, jewelers, clothing designers, painters, and a basket maker. Jerry Scavezze and his wife, Susan Bethany, have owned the gallery for 10 years, and strive to exhibit high quality art in a dazzling variety of mediums.

Many of the exhibitors are local, others are selected from throughout the country. Recently, due to a gallery expansion, the work of three furniture makers was added. Read the rest of this article

Column by George Sibley

Economy – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

FOR A CHANGE, I’m not writing from the Upper Gunnison. My partner Maryo — in celebration of one of those decadal birthdays — wanted to go to Finland partly for nostalgic reasons (she and her family spent a year there when she was one decade old), and we both decided it might be interesting to go there and to the rest of those northern countries because they seemed to come closest to exemplifying an idea that is totally oxymoronic to America: Intelligent Industrial Democracy. Read the rest of this article

Article by John Orr

Water – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel

The relief well for the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel came on line late in June. Peter Soeth from Reclamation said, “The plant is now treating between 2000 and 2100 gallons per minute,” combined flow from the LMDT and the relief well. Read the rest of this article

Review by Ed Quillen

Ranching – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Ranching Way of Life – San Luis Valley, Colorado
DVD released in 2008
by Saguache County Sustainable Environment and Economic Development (ScSEED)
P.O. Box 393, Moffat CO 81143
www.scseed.org
ISBN: None Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0976921855[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Mountains – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Colorado’s San Juan Mountains with historic photos by Joseph Collier
by Grant Collier
Published in 2008 by Collier Publishing
ISBN 978-0-9768218-5-1 Read the rest of this article

[amazon-product]0981658407[/amazon-product]Review by Ed Quillen

Mountain Life – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

The Monkey Wrench Dad: Dispatches from the backyard frontline
by Ken Wright
Published in 2008 by Raven’s Eye Press
ISBN 978-0-9816534-0-7 Read the rest of this article

Letter from Slim Wolfe

Politics – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Editors:

Is health care a right? Or is it just plain ridiculous to debate the topic while the bulk of the nation wallows in a toxic sludge of junk foods and drinks, cigarettes that taste like ether or formaldehyde, carpets and building materials that exude nasty gasses, and sedentary lifestyles? Is there any hope of mental health for a population bombarded by commercials and sleaze TV? Should taxpayers carry the burden of health care while free enterprise is free to foist degeneration on the body public? Read the rest of this article

Letter from Dorothy O’Brien

Melancholy Green Giants – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Mr. Quillen,

Having read your review of John Mattingly’s Melancholy Green Giants, I came away perplexed. What does “chick lit” have to do with anything? I asked myself.

Mr. Quillen’s review seemed as ambivalent as his reading. Did he like the book or not? Was he recommending it or not? Allow me to help you with that. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Clarice Still

Mt. Kia/Mia – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dear Editor,

I just finished reading the story on Mt. KIA/MIA by Bill Hatcher [in the June edition]. The man who was interviewed, Bradly Hight, gives the distinct impression that he and the committee are responsible for having the mountain named, when he/they did not do any such thing. He jumped in at the end after all the hard work was done by an honorable man( veteran), Bruce Salisbury, and his wife Dottie. I find the article to be a horrible disservice to them. Here, is an original article written when the mountain was in the process of being named, and finally assigned after five long years. Read the rest of this article

Article by Shanna Lewis

Agriculture – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

AN OLD ADAGE says it’s wise to make hay when the sun shines, and last year ranchers in the Wet Mountain Valley did just that. Starting in June, after a snowy winter and wet spring and summer, tractors rolled out into acres of lush grass. Verdant swaths crisscrossed the Valley floor and sweet clover perfumed the air. Soon huge silver-tarped stacks of bales sprouted along the county roads and the dark echoing hay sheds filled up. It was a good year. Read the rest of this article

Letter from Daniel R. Murdock

Mt. Kia/Mia – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Mr. Quillen,

How can you or your publication support any dedication ceremony [in the June edition] that has completely ignored the individual that was solely responsible for getting the Mountain [KIA/MIA] renamed? Read the rest of this article

Column by John Mattingly

Agriculture – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

AS A FARMER, I’ve always viewed my ground as a solar collector. No matter how hard I appear to work — and like many of my cohorts, I’ve done little to refute exaggerations of my toil — the sun does most of the heavy lifting in the growth of a crop. This is often neglected when farmers and gardeners (and their attending hosts of fertility suppliers) talk about production yields.

Before sizing the role of the farmer or gardener in the success of a crop, three solar basics should be considered: Read the rest of this article

Article by Jennifer Dempsey

Modern Life – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

IN 1962, when Sam Walton opened the first Wal-Mart store in Rogers, Arkansas, he vowed that the discount store would strive to meet the changing needs of American communities.

Wal-Mart’s mission statement says, “As we grow, we want to ensure that we do so in a way that aligns with the needs of our customers and communities.” Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Local History – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Among the many Independence Day festivities in Central Colorado was an open house at the old Maysville School, which operated from 1881 until it closed in 1939. Organizers said they had feared no one would come, so were pleasantly surprised to receive a steady stream of visitors on July 4. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Ed Quillen

Local News – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Dry and High

The rivers are running well and the reservoirs are filling, thanks to a heavy snowpack. But not much water has fallen out of the sky recently. The Salida Mountain Mail pointed out that by July 1 in an average year, the city has received about 4 inches of moisture, whereas this year, the total is less than 2 inches. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Animals – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Call it a battle of the Old West and the New West. A woman competing in a mountain bike race in the vicinity of Camp Hale, the former 10th Mountain Division training base between Leadville and Minturn, was attacked by two Great Pyrenees.

The Vail Daily said no report of the injuries to the bicycle rider was available. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Politics – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Even though the major and minor political parties have pretty well agreed on their presidential candidates, and Colorado voters had a say, the official state primary elections are on Aug. 12.

What happened last February were precinct caucuses, where party members gathered to select delegates to the county assemblies, which in turn selected delegates to the state convention, and then in turn, to the national conventions. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Allen Best

Energy – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Jim Crown, the managing partner for the Chicago-based family that owns the Aspen Skiing Co., says he’s worried about how the price of fuel is affecting airlines.

“Airlines are an extremely important form of mass transit, and the lifeblood of any destination resort,” he told The Aspen Times. If the airlines cut service, that “would be bad for us.” Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Wildlife – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Tomcats have a certain reputation, but it appears that they’re not living up to it in Colorado — at least if they’re lynx.

Closely related to bobcats, lynx have tufted ears and bigger feet, which enable them to get around better in the snow for their favorite prey, snowshoe hares. Alaskan and Canadian lynx were re-introduced into the state in 1999 through 2006, and have established a fairly stable population. Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Geography – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

According to one of our favorite books of mountain lore (A Climbing Guide to Colorado’s Fourteeners, by Walter R. Borneman and Lyndon J. Lampert), there has always been some confusion about names for the peaks in the Sangre de Cristo range above the town of Crestone.

There are Crestone Peak (14,294) and Crestone Needle (14,197). They were not climbed until 1916, which makes them the last 14ers in Colorado to be climbed. Nearby is Kit Carson Peak (14,165). Read the rest of this article

Brief by Marcia Darnell

San Luis Valley – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

High and Dry

The San Luis Valley escaped major flooding this year, despite a very large snowpack. Thanks go to Mother Nature, which sent alternating warm spells and cold blasts throughout the spring, ensuring a slow, gentle runoff. Now that the water supply is safe for this growing season, residents can begin worrying about next year. Read the rest of this article

Comic Strip written and drawn by Monika Griesenbeck

Mountain Life – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine Read the rest of this article

Brief by Central Staff

Population – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

Population growth and decline

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau issues population estimates in July. This time around, Central Colorado generally showed growth, while much of the San Luis Valley lost population.

Costilla County, for instance, dropped 9.79%, from 3,668 people on July 1, 2000, to 3,309 on July 1, 2008. Also declining were Rio Grande County, a 6.46% drop with 11,627 residents this year, and Conejos County, which was down by 3.87% to 8,074 residents in 2008. Read the rest of this article

Essay by Alan Kesselheim

Energy – August 2008 – Colorado Central Magazine

WE’VE HAD SOME MINOR FLOODING lately in the Gallatin Valley in southwestern Montana, the consequence of a good mountain snowpack and a two-day heat wave, followed by a big rain. It reminded everyone of the way things used to work.

Some local landowners, however, were “shocked,” I read in the paper. “I’ve lived here twelve years and I’ve never seen anything like this!” one said. Read the rest of this article